Chapter 34

Levy tried her best to sooth the iron dragon slayer's pain of having to try and match Natsu's bottomless pit of a stomach as she, in a way, brought this upon him. Not many people could say that they were able to match the pink haired slayer in an eating contest, but Gajeel tried his best to be that one such person. It didn't end well for him as he lost on his twenty-fourth serving and Natsu beat him with twenty-nine, almost thirty if the iron dragon slayer didn't throw in the towel when he had enough. The blunette felt pretty sorry for Gajeel as she could tell he was trying his hardest not to expel the contents of his stomach behind a hut nearby, but was still grateful for his sacrifice nonetheless. She only hoped it was enough as Natsu went off to tell Lucy and Gray the good news that he had won, but she worried if he caught them at a bad time and may have ruined something special.

Her curiosity was soon answered as Gray was making his way over towards the them, a casual smirk directed to the suffering dragon slayer and the solid script mage couldn't tell anything from that. Following close behind him were Lucy and Natsu, but her blonde best friend didn't have that gleeful hop in her step that she was expecting and fretted over the idea that Natsu had intervened somehow. The blunette's only indicator that things were somehow fine was that the pink haired slayer still looked happy over his victory, Gray was acting as normal as could be as he walked up alongside them to pity/mock Gajeel and Lucy wore a smile for Natsu as he relayed the past events of the contest.

"Maybe I should've warned you ahead of time that there hasn't been a person that's lasted long enough to beat Natsu when it involves food." Gray said as the iron dragon slayer glared up at him, grabbing a hold of his stomach as he was sure that he couldn't look at another dish for a while.

"I knew Salamander had a stomach on him, but that it was a bottomless pit had slipped past me." The long raven haired man said as he let out a small groan as his stomach was fighting him to empty it out. "You definitely owe me for this one."

"Thanks for your noble sacrifice, I'll treat you to some fine steel one of these days." Gray said lowly to him, patting his back in a friendly matter as Natsu was making his way over towards them.

"Getting pitied by the Ice Princess, huh Metal Face?" Natsu snickered at the look Gajeel had thrown at him before turning abruptly and ran off holding a hand to his mouth. "Looks like he couldn't keep it in after all." The pink haired teen began laughing uncontrollably at the desperate slayer who was trying to find somewhere to throw up, but the ice mage merely sighed at him.

"Let's go make sure he's fine Fire Freak, you're partly to blame for not taking it easy on him." Gray said as he followed after the nauseated slayer and the fire dragon slayer let his laughter die down before he too followed after the ice mage.

Now that all three of them had gone, Levy immediately rushed over to Lucy as she noticed the downcasted look on the blonde's face once both her teammates had finally left. Levy had really hoped that the busty blonde would squeal in joy for what she imagined happened between her and Gray, telling her the good news about her new relationship though it didn't seem like it was the case. Lucy went off to take a seat at a nearby bench and the blunette followed after her, sitting right next to her and slowly took her hand in hers. It was a full minute of silence before the celestial spirit mage let out a tired sigh and Levy took this as her chance to finally bring up the blatant question in the air.

"Tell me what happened, I'm here for you." Levy said as she offered a reassuring smile and was met with a thankful one in turn.

"Thanks Lev, it's good to know that I have someone to vent to." The blonde replied as she took a moment to collect her thoughts as she was still trying to make it as sensible as possible for what they had decided to do in the end.

"Can I at least make the guess that it's "the end" with no "happily ever after" before it?" Judging by the way her blonde friend's shoulders slumped, Levy was positive she hit the nail right on the head.

"And the grand prize goes to Levy McGarden for getting the right answer." Lucy sadly joked as the blunette gave her a sympathetic smile to let her know she was still with her and got her message. "I think it was too much to hope for him to actually pick me in the end, but I guess we'll just be friends for a while longer."

"I don't think it was too much to hope for, maybe it was just a stretch since he's a bit too hard to understand." Levy offered as in the end her best friend was still single and nothing really changed, although in a way plenty has changed. "You tried your best and that's what counts in the end. Gray's been through alot and I think he just needs things to die down before he can even think about seriously making you his girlfriend."

"Kind of backwards don't you think? I mean, usually it's the girl that would need time before they get together with the boy." Lucy said, but her experience of this had actually come mainly from the things she's read although this time she had gone through it for the first time and like she said the roles were reversed.

"True, but are you really going to wait?" The blunette didn't think of Gray as an indecisive person, but it would probably take time for him to get a handle on the past events then again who wouldn't. "No disrespect to him, but I think it's a bit unfair to make a girl like you wait."

"That's what I don't know on what to do, he's a good guy underneath all that cold hard exterior though you do have a point. I'd agree with what you said, but he thought about that too and isn't really tying me down." She replied and the solid script mage hadn't seen that one coming, thinking that the ice mage wasn't one to let go. "He said so himself that if there was another guy out there that would make me happy before he finally came around, that I should just go ahead and find out if they are my match. No hard feelings on either of our ends if it really happens."

"Selfless to another level from what I've seen of Gray, but I've got to admit that he's a keeper for taking your happiness above his own, amongst other things about him." Levy understood that the ice mage would do anything for his comrades, but what she didn't know was the extent he was willing to go in a number of scenarios.

"Yeah well it's too bad I can't realize that need to hold onto him since we're going to be single for a while, but I hope not for too long." Lucy dejectedly said as she placed her chin upon her propped up hand as the blunette patted her back reassuringly.

"Don't you worry since it will happen, trust me." Levy gave her a supportive smile and Lucy couldn't help but feel her spirits brighten up at her words.

"Thanks Levy, time will tell but I can manage just fine." The blonde beauty replied as she looked off towards her friends mingling about, wondering how the others had taken the news themselves. "Does anyone else around us still want him?" She asked as the main reason they were on the island was to make sure they didn't.

"Nope, everyone's back to the way they were and don't even get me started with how embarrassed they are when they try to think about it." Levy said, remembering how Mira acted when she asked to think back on her memories and tried her hardest not to make herself out as one of her match make participants.

"Loke's plan worked in the end, but I think Gray's still angry with him for using Moon Drip as a last resort." Lucy said as she thought back to how the two fought when Gray denied making her his girlfriend. "He took it much more personally when Gray called us off."

"Can you blame him? Just like all your spirits, he cares alot about you and wanted you to be happy." Levy said as she has seen the loyalty her spirits devote to her before whenever she fought alongside them. "I'm sure he was just stressed out with helping Gray fix this."

"I don't doubt that," Lucy replied as she let out another sigh as she watched Gray speak with a bored look on his face at Natsu who was still laughing at Gajeel whose backside was the only thing visible, "I just wanted to be there for Gray, like someone he can talk to about this. Make him feel like there's someone he can go to that will hear him out, the real him that's hurting."

"It's okay Lucy, just being around him and treating him like the friend he's been to you is enough support for him right now." The petite girl was sure that having his friends around him has a good effect when he's feeling down and she'd trust that having his team around him will help keep him happy.

"I'll keep that in mind" The blonde knew where Levy was coming from as even at his lowest moments, just with her and the team around as his friends there would always be a smile on his face. That genuine smile would be enough for her and it was what she wanted to see from the ice mage now that he was honest with his feelings. "A smiling Gray is always better than a broken one." Lucy thought as the looked back to all the memories they made where he worried for her or even laughed with her, which in turn brought a smile on her face despite the heartache she felt inside.


It was much later in the afternoon when Cana had been stopped by Gray and asked to follow him after she had rejoined the group of guildmates hanging around, the ice mage not giving any sign of what he was up to and merely followed him towards her previous secluded area. She watched him curiously as he paced back and forth for a bit before sitting down beneath the tree with an annoyed sigh. The card mage now knew just enough to guess that her close friend had done something he felt pretty stupid of doing and was seeking out her guidance to tell him if he made the right choice. Given that at this point his belief of a wrong choice might not necessarily be wrong, she knew it still troubled the raven haired mage quite a bit since a lot was revolving around him.

"So do you want me to congratulate you on your new relationship with our bubbly blonde friend or should I tell you that you messed up again for not listening?" Cana offered as her box was still in the same place she had left it and decided to take a seat while the ice mage struggled to get his words out.

"Probably the second one if anything." Gray finally answered as he sat on the ground beside her, placing his head into his hands as he was utterly confused. "I followed through with what I wanted to do, but I made sure I listened to how Lucy had taken it and yet I feel like I should've gotten with her."

"Didn't think that the Great Gray would be reduced to bitching because of girl problems." Cana sarcastically said as she was met with a glare from the troubled ice mage and merely giggled that she got him with it. "Down boy, I was just kidding and besides you followed your heart this time and listened to another so you shouldn't question yourself so soon."

"But I've got no idea what I'm doing at this point now. I've already placed four relationships on the rocks as it is, with more that I'm not even aware of still." Gray complained, he came seeking the card mage because she's much wiser than others are lead to believe although he wasn't so sure if she had anything to say on his current predicament. "Couldn't you have told me what I should have done before hand?"

"Fuck no I would, why would I tell you how to get with another chick when I'm still in the race for you?" The brunette said with minor surprise that her former lover would think she had completely given up for the time being. "I told you all that you needed to know; nothing more, nothing less. This is your time to grow and you can't have someone lead you by the hand."

"Listen to me Gray, Lucy's too much of a good person to not understand how you feel. Hell, she gave me such a morale boost to not quit the guild if I failed the S-class exam before we got trapped." Cana began as the raven haired mage didn't know Lucy had done that for the card mage, though he knew it wasn't impossible for her to do so. "The Ocean of Sadness only needs some words of explanation to fix her, while Erza will be a fortified fortress for a few months with what's happened, but you can easily infiltrate it no problem to bring her back out. As for me, I've got pretty thick skin so this doesn't hurt me as much."

"You're such a liar." Gray commented and Cana raised an eyebrow in wonderment to what he said, giving off a reserved sigh as she looked expectantly at him. "I might not be able to understand you, but I know that this is affecting you just as much as the others."

Cana gave a meek smile at how he had caught her and wondered how they would've been if he was this observant years ago, a question asked too many times for her to count. He was right either way in the sense that it did bother her, but for a different reason than what he could be thinking of. Cana loved him much more than she was expressing and seeing him happy would be enough for her to last a while, so seeing him acting so helpless didn't sit right with her.

"Guess you got me, but I'm not asking anything from you. You and me are still on the same footing, only this time our problem is resolved with nothing holding us back aside from you having to come to terms with things." Cana cherished the past, but there are some things she was willing to let go of and the day she and Gray parted was not going to be one of them.

"Whether it's a good thing to say this or not; I wouldn't have it any other way." Gray gave a genuine smile in turn at seeing the ever so forward Cana he had come to know.

"Good and for future knowledge, don't make me a rebound or else I will Fairy Glitter your perfect ass and I'll even ask the First Master to let me." The card mage jokingly said, but Gray knew that she would make good with her threat since she would be that determined to pull it off.

"Nice to know someone's noticing it and here I thought I lost, what Loke calls, my "eye candy" appeal." The ice mage replied in a similar manner and knew that Cana was able to pick up his understanding of her threat.

"It's hard not to when you're half naked most of the time." Cana replied, punching his arm in a friendly manner with a wish of having this last forever somewhere deep inside of her. "But I'll help you out this one time," The brunette began as she stood up, stretching her back as she rose, "I say you should go and talk with the other girls; I know you don't want to speak to Juvia, but the sooner you get it over with, the better it is for everyone and Erza's a given as to why."

"Well as it stands now, that fortune teller I met was right." Gray commented to himself with a noticeable hint of annoyance, although Cana immediately was interested when the ice mage had mentioned another fortune teller.

"Are you going to other tellers behind my back? My cards and I have been pretty accurate for a while, so I'm wondering why you went to see some ametuer instead of me?" The brunette was slightly offended that the raven haired mage didn't believe in her tellings, which she took the utmost of pride in, and went to some random person for insight of the future.

"Who said I was? He was some random dark mage I came across when Lucy was barely a rookie in our guild for a few days, crystal ball and all if I remember correctly." The ice mage was aware that many people went to Cana to have their fortune's told, but if you went to someone else after seeing her then she'd get pretty pissed about it.

"So what did this ametuer tell you?" The brunette wondered what unspecific things he told him, as they tend to say ambiguous things that most people can agree with to believe it as their future. They give actual fortune teller's like herself a bad name.

"According to what he could see in my future was that I would have problems with water and women." Gray recounted as he already had some experiences with water, namely Juvia and to an extent his master Ur, and the women bit was pretty obvious by now. "I should've taken him a bit more seriously before elbowing him in the face."

"Tch, I could have told you that, but it's too late to cry about spilled milk now so get going before you run out of daylight. Those two won't wait forever and the guild would benefit once you deal with it." Cana said as she tried to push away her anger since the fortune came true and her anger was baseless, although the look Gray now donned didn't sit right with her either.

"You're right and if I die; you keep my necklace." Gray morbidly joked, but it was more to ease himself in with the idea of speaking to them than anything.

"And here I thought I'd get your house." She joked back, but a part of her knew that if, Mavis forbid, he were to lose his life then she'd follow his final wish like it was akin to a will he was ready to write up. To add a bit of a sarcastic afterthought, she still tried to figure out how Gray could destroy a mood so easily. "Still, something as special as your sword necklace is just as good for me and I'll accept it with an open heart." Cana knew this arrangement come from the heart and so she'll take it that way as well.

"Like I said before, I wouldn't have it any other way." Gray then stood up as well, knowing that the clouded area near the port town was where an "Ocean of Sadness" was residing at the moment since the rest of the island was experiencing clear skies. "You guys'll probably be on the boat back to the mainland before me so don't wait up, I'll get a ride back somehow."

"Don't worry about it, I'll tell the others." The card mage replied as the ice mage gave her a nod before walking off towards the entrance of the village for the third time that day.

Gray walked with a number of things on his mind and one specific thought was his quick vocal will he gave to Cana which was much more accurate to what he'd truly do compared to writing it down, even if it wouldn't happen since the worse thing to happen o him would be Erza beating him into a pulp and have the inability to sit right for a month.

Though his final words with Cana, before he told her to go on without him, held a much more deeper reason then one would think for him giving up his greatest treasure of his mother's cross pendant. It took him some time to figure it out, but he finally understood what Cana meant when he had to take care of "her" when he saw her again. This individual was a secret kept between them and Porlyusica and who was actually the next in line to the Fullbuster name, so if he moved on before they ever saw each other again then he could rely on Cana to pass down his pendent to her. Though a long shot in itself, he knew that the girl would find her way to Fairy Tail somehow so it would be just a matter of how one would react to seeing their daughter for the first time after so many years.

He allowed those thoughts to disappear into the back of his mind as he followed the worn path directing him towards the the port town's entrance before it opened outward towards the forest. He had to deal with a saddened water mage for she herself was no doubt causing questions as to why clouds were overhead when the rest of the island had sunshine. The ice mage would tough it out when speaking with Juvia because he trusted Cana's word and knew that he could help the water mage by just talking to her. So here goes nothing, knowing that the only thing he'd lose would be a friendly bond he shared with her.


Juvia gazed out at the sea with downcast eyes, picturing her old fantasies of having a home nearby one with her beloved Gray. Their home would act more as a retreat when they wanted to take a break for she couldn't think of parting with the guild to live somewhere else, full knowing that the ice mage wouldn't want to do so either. These fantasies would stay as they are now, failing to realize that reality Gray was very much different than fantasy Gray.

The water mage herself was merely sitting on a comfortable bench on an extended pier that held a number of small vendors, entertainment for the children and a decent place for fisherman who didn't feel like going out to sea. She watched as families hurried along through the streets in fear of possible rain that the water mage knew wouldn't come as her mood was very much connected with the clouds, but she wouldn't let a drop fall now. She'd done enough crying in the forest to tire her out and she wished not to inconvenience the nice port people with her rain. So all that was left were dark gray clouds that represented her equally sad mood now that her attempts had finally surmounted to zero results.

"Mommy the sky is sad, like it wants to cry." An innocent little girl said as she passed by the bench Juvia sat as her mother smiled down to her, no doubt amused with her daughter's personification of the sky.

"Then let's hope it gets better and smiles really brightly so that Mr. Sunshine can come out again and play." The mother replied as the little girl nodded agreeingly with a bright smile on her face as she skipped beside her mother.

The blue haired water mage watched as they left, most likely heading home for the day as even they couldn't be so sure of the rain and Juvia sighed to herself as she thought back to her old memory of what her little girl would've looked like in her mind. Smiling brightly in the sun with her bangs she got from Gray swishing from left to right with the curls she got from her mother bouncing with her steps, but the little girl wouldn't come to be. She hoped too much and feared just as much about the future that she overly pushed Gray and now there wasn't even the slimmest chance that he'd talk to her again.

"Kids are some of the most thoughtful people." Came an all too familiar baritone voice behind her which caused her to instinctively react as she turned around sharply. "She had a point though and I can guess why the sky would want to cry."

"Gray-sam-, er...Gray-san!" The ice mage inwardly cringed at how she tried to correct herself, understanding that she believed she didn't have the right to call him that anymore but it still felt strange to hear a different honorific. "I didn't believe you'd come here."

"Neither did I, but I think it's for the best that I did." He replied as he sat at the edge of the bench Juvia sat on, while she scooted over towards the other end and avoided making eye contact with him.

"You needn't worry for Juvia's sake, she is reimaging herself so that she doesn't become a bother to Gray-san." The water mage knew that Gray had calmed down significantly now, but she had a strong belief that he came to see her as per someone's request.

"If it means that you're going to tuck yourself away in your original ways then I'm gonna have to stop you right there." Gray looked at her sternly as she turned to him in surprise before diverting her gaze away from him once again.

"What gave Gray-san that idea?" She asked as the thought didn't cross her mind before and didn't think of it until he mentioned it.

"Shouldn't it be obvious?" Gray rhetorically asked as the sky itself was a big indicator as any, for her mood tended to coincide with how the whether is most of the time. "And why won't you even look at me?"

"Because Juvia is the last person that Gray-san would want to see, she is responsible for this whole mess that has done nothing but inconvenience you since the start." Juvia replied, holding her hands tightly as the mere mention made her feel terrible for what she did to the man she loved. "Juvia knows that Gray-san holds resentment for her and doesn't want the last visages of Gray-san to be of hate towards her."

"I don't hate you Juvia, you're my guild mate and there isn't any force out there that would make me hate any of them." Gray sighed outwardly of how far the water mage believed his anger could stretch to, which was blown a bit out of proportion as his hatred was limited to a few things. "Am I upset with what you did? Of course, but do I hate you for it? No way I could."

"So does this mean that Gray-san forgives Juvia?" The water mage asked as she allowed sparks of hope to try and ignite, but Gray was fully aware of what was happening and knew that this was where he had to make himself clear.

"I'm sorry Juvia, but this type of thing needs time to be forgiven. Not all things that happen to us are resolved the following day." The ice mage replied as Juvia now wore a dejected look, realizing that it was a bit too much to hope for his forgiveness so soon. "With time, I'm sure this could be put behind us and then I will tell you that you are forgiven."

"Juvia understands and wishes to express her sincerest apologies, her love and fear of Gray-san had blinded her of her actions. I ask that you please forgive Juvia for her misgivings." She began to bow her head in apology, but her shoulder had been held up before she could go any further.

"You don't need to be sorry Juvia, you weren't the only one at blame here." Gray said as he removed his hand, reclining a bit more into the bench as he watched the calm waves of the ocean. "It's my fault that you went this far and though I didn't see it before, I now know that my behavior didn't help anything in the long run."

"Juvia is unsure of how Gray-san is at blame."

"There's plenty to show for it; I didn't regard your feelings much at first, I wasn't upfront with how I felt with the situation and I've lead you on in a way." The raven haired mage looked back at how he acted and knew these were the main points he wanted to say to her back in Crocus after the Grand Magic Games.

"But it was Juvia who wouldn't listen to Gray-san when he asked for his space and would push her feelings onto him that she knew became overbearing on you sometimes." The blue haired woman added as his faults went hand in hand with hers. "The only thing that Gray-san and I share apparently..."

"It's best not to try and lighten the weight of problems I caused as I'm learning to accept that I've made a number of mistakes." The ice mage was already willing to deal with these facts and he couldn't let someone try to make them out as not big flaws when they were.

"But Juvia had been careless with her actions, she chose more and more drastic measures every time she failed." Juvia could recount the number of potions she's tried in the past when it didn't go her way, but this one was by far the most costly.

"Look Juvia, you and I can go back and forth for hours about who did what and I know that you'd do everything you could to lessen the blame for me," He noticed her flinch at his words, still choosing to look at her boots instead of him. "We both brought this upon ourselves and we should accept this as part of who we are."

A silence befell the two as they sat at the farthest edges of the same bench, but it was not awkward in any way. It was more of a silent acceptance that they booth understood each other's actions and mistakes, now knowing that they both played a part of the disaster waiting to happen. With the amount of reflection that Gray had been doing, he wondered how things would've been if he did things differently; a prominent one being Juvia as so much could have been resolved if he were just honest with her. It was somewhat similar in Juvia's case as well as she wondered how things would've played out if she went about this at a casual pace rather than bombarding the ice mage with her love on a daily basis. In the end they both recognized that their relationship wasn't level at all as one saw a good person trapped behind her own gloom, while the other saw a romance waiting to bloom with someone who gave her the blue sky and sun.

"As I look at it, we met under the worst of circumstances and if you're up for it then maybe we can start all over again." Gray offered as he extended his hand out towards Juvia, giving a half-smile as the water mage looked at him for the first time since her initial reaction to his arrival, "As friends and guild mates of Fairy Tail."

"Juvia gladly accepts!" The water mage said, shaking the ice mage's hand as she donned a bright smile; the dark clouds around them beginning to part as the rays of sunshine began to blanket the port town though he could tell that the sun would set soon.

"I think you should get back to the others, it's almost time to leave." Gray said as he stood up, Juvia following in suit, but was confused as to why he told her rather than say "they" since he too was coming back with them.

"Aren't you coming along as well?" She asked, watching as the ice mage's shoulders slightly slump as he looked off towards the mountain top.

"No, I've got something left to take care of." Gray replied with what she could only think of sorrow, walking off in the direction he was facing.

Juvia wished to follow him if he needed support, but something deep within her told her not to interfere. In the end she followed side by side with the raven haired mage back to the demon's village and once they were close enough he waved goodbye and continued deeper into the forest until he was out of sight. Though Gray was willing to let each other start again there was a part of her that knew it would take some time before things are truly settled between them, yet she took it with no qualm.

The ice mage had let her off easy, he was upset with her and there was no denying that, but he gave her a second chance despite what happened. She truly was glad that he was forgiving, but still felt terrible for causing him pain and wouldn't have been surprised if he dissolved everything to do with each other. Still, this would be a new turning point for her and hoped that Juvia 2.5 would have a better relationship with Gray in the future, built on trust if nothing else.


At the more secluded area of the port, where not many ships tend to dock, a red haired woman in armor leaned against one of the few small warehouses in the area as she awaited for her ride home to arrive. She wondered if her friends worried about her before they left, but trusted the idea that they knew she could take care of herself. Erza chose to stay behind, not simply because she promised the pirate captain that she'd sail with them back to the mainland, but because she wanted to be left alone. If she had to be honest, she spent the day at the peak of the mountain atop the temple ruins hoping Gray would came back and tell her that they were going home.

Needless to say that it wasn't the case since she now stood alone at the dock.

It was actually Natsu, flown over by Happy holding onto him, that came looking for her to say that they've found a boat to take them home. Of course he wasn't one for the idea of riding, as he called it, a "floating death trap" back home and wasn't fast enough to catch up to Laxus before he lightning traveled home with the rest of the Thunder Legion. It was a nice change of pace for her to see his regular self without a care in the world of what happened and it served as a nice distraction. She had soon explained that she wasn't riding the boat with them, yet the dragon slayer didn't understand her choice and had offered to go along with her. It brought a smile on her face for the first time that day of his willingness to wait with her, but she declined his offer and added that he was only delaying the inevitable.

The armored woman conceded her place at the top of the mountain and went with them back to the village, subconsciously searching out for Gray once they arrived although she wasn't sure whether it was to avoid him or try and speak to him. Erza never found him anywhere before they began saying goodbye to the demon villagers and had been later told that he was already at the port town. A group of her fellow guildmates had gone ahead before she arrived with Natsu and Happy, they were the ones to acquire a boat large enough to take them all back to the mainland and once again she didn't see the ice mage. The redhead concluded that he was already on board and again explained that she would wait for the pirates to come and pick her up to the others.

Most of her friends asked her to reconsider, but with a bit more talking she had managed to convince them otherwise. With a small smile she waved to them from the dock as their ship began to sail away before they soon became a little dot on the horizon. The sun was nearly setting when she had arrived at the pick up area and this was where she was now, waiting patiently for the pirate ship to arrive.

"Erza!" The requip mage looked around as she heard her name be called out, but the sudden urge to simply hide away pulled at her once she recognised the voice that had yelled it. "Erza, where are you!?"

The familiar baritone voice called out once again as the sound of running footsteps began to grow louder and louder. Erza had to show herself, what was she hiding from? She was considered the strongest female mage of Fairy Tail and yet her body froze all together when her eyes landed on the back of a raven haired young man she knew all too well. The redhead tried her hardest to move into view or even answer his call, but it felt as if her armor had gained an unbelieveable amount of weight suddenly and gripped her body tightly from making a sound. It was when she heard his dejected sigh that Erza knew that he had been looking for her for while and thought that she had already left the island.

"Fuck! I'm too late, she's already gone." Gray irritatedly said as he kicked a random crate in frustration, but didn't gauge his strength as his boot passed through the wood and was now stuck. "Oh for fuck's sake!"

"Gray, language!" Erza reprimanded out of habit and Gray instinctively stood as straight as he could, his once trapped foot coming to tap against his other at the heel although she was still surprised at herself by speaking out like that.

"Yes, Ma'am!" He replied until he immediately drew himself out of his conditioned stupor to turn around and find the redhead he was searching for coming out from the other side of a warehouse. "Looks like you're still here."

"Yes I am and I thought you left with the others an hour or so ago. What are you doing here Gray?" She questioned as the ice mage began walking to her, but that strange urge returned making her want to take a step back as he got closer.

"Looking for you, duh. I went all the way up the Moon Temple, but you weren't there. I came to the docks to see if anyone's seen a woman in armor anywhere and pointed in this direction." Gray explained as he drew closer until he finally stopped and sat on top of an empty crate, luckily in time before Erza's back touched the warehouse wall leaving her no more room to back up.

"Why were you looking for me, I would've thought that our last conversation would've prevented you from doing so anymore today or in the near future." Erza knew he didn't mean a word he said when he insulted her as he was up to something far greater that she barely caught on to, but was unsure about the ones concerning Jellal. "I sure would have taken the initiative to do so."

"Yeah well, I came to apologize to you." Gray began as she looked at him stoically, but she was curious as to what he had to say on the inside. "I didn't think through that whole talk correctly and all I did was make you hurt much more than I wanted you to be."

"Why apologize? You spoke from your mind without any reserves, clear enough that it was no doubt how you felt from within your heart." She countered as the ice mage was one of the few people who would truly speak out against her without fear. "You made your intentions clear and I will not refute them, but you are still my guild mate so I won't treat you any differently just because you and I had a personal spat."

"Do you hear yourself? You're taking this too lightly, like it was just some sort of scapegoated punishment the magic council was pushing onto you again." Gray would've believed that she would show more emotion, anger or anything for that matter at him and yet she spoke to him so casually. "I don't care if you're angry with me, but show it. Don't hide behind your armor with me."

"We are professional wizards Gray, our internal affairs will only blemish the guild's reputation. The trouble has passed and you've been dealing with the aftermath to the best of your abilities, so this can be filed away and be left as that." The requip mage replied as she stood steadfast with her stoic expression never wavering, crossing her arms as she once again began to lean on the warehouse wall. "Besides, can I really afford to do so with someone that has claimed not to be so close to me?"

"Don't mess with me right now Erza, I know you were fully aware of what I was saying." Gray accused sharply as he knew that pain he felt wasn't just his imagination, especially if Lulu and the other demons could sense it too. "I messed up big time today and I've replayed it over and over in my head since then and I can't stop the guilt that keeps trying to plant itself in me for what I've done."

"I am not a little girl that is afraid of being hurt anymore Gray, the demons of my past have been resolved and you were there to witness it, so why do you believe that I would hide away in my armor?" She said calmly, almost as if she was none the least affected with the ice mage's tone. "You needn't guilt yourself for expressing what you believe and though rocky the foundations of our friendship is at the moment, it's still there."

"Stop lying Erza!" Though calm and collected she was being, the ice mage had an unstoppable sense of seeing a nine year old Erza continuously burying herself deeper into a much bigger breast plate. It may seem weird of him to be able to see that, but it was the very heart of Erza he was seeing and he wasn't about to let her run away anymore. "You are afraid, you're trying to hide yourself and not only that, but you're hiding from me!"

"I don't understand what you mean, I'm standing before you as Erza Scarlet; S-class mage of Fairy Tail, your team mate and friend." Erza replied, although she was internally falling apart as Gray was seeing right through her just like she did to his words. "Showing fear is part of being human, but I do not fear you nor do I intend to hide." She added, lifting herself off the wall and turning to head for the available dock as she could see a small dot on the horizon making its way over to them.

"But you are my best friend, I've known you for so long and know that you are afraid of me because I made you feel alone!" His words had stopped Erza from taking another step forward, her barriers beginning to crumble as he pointed out a major point he did to her. "I promised you that you weren't alone, but I learned you depended on me so much that it was enough for you to feel all alone again when I tore our friendship apart like that."

"You promised, but I am not alone. I have Fairy Tail and all of our friends as well." Erza replied as she tried her hardest not to visibly shake at how much his words rung true.

"Sure you have them, but I'm the only on that's managed to make you take off your armor with them around." Gray was trying his hardest to keep his words in line so the red head wouldn't make the misunderstanding that he was manipulating her feelings to talk to her. "I came to apologize not only to show how much I regret treating you like that, but to also save you from falling back into your old ways."

The requip mage stayed silent, not one sign of movement coming from her as she had her back faced to Gray, but the ice mage couldn't bear to not see what she was feeling. He cautiously walked up to her and carefully put his right hand onto her shoulder and the next thing he knew, his entire body weight was shifted as he was flung over Erza's shoulder. Her tight grip still holding firmly on his arm, but as Gray looked up at her face he noticed the pools of tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

Erza couldn't hold back anymore as Gray continued to destroy every attempt to dissuade him from believing that she wasn't alright until he came to the root of it all. She loved everyone at Fairy Tail equally, but she trusted her heart to Gray and when he tore it apart it destroyed the hope she held of leaving her armor behind. He was her shield against her inner torment and it pained her like no other when he used it against her, breaking her down to pieces on the inside. When the ice mage himself pointed out what he was seeing and that she was falling back to how she was, it caused her to freeze up and drop her guard. It was pure reflex when she flipped the ice mage over her shoulder, but when she was about to release his arm, she had noticed the shield pendant she gave the raven haired mage years ago. Her memories of years past caused her to tear up for what they have and knowing that Gray still wears it to the day made her realize that he was and still would be her shield.

"This is the arm you flipped me over with the first time we fought, it will be the one to pick you up and the one you can come to cry on." Gray said trying to recount what he said all those years ago word for word, although he was sure he messed it up in some way. "Nothing will ever change what you mean to me Erza."

No words could express the myriad of emotions the redhead was feeling at that moment as it all came boiling down to her soft cries as Gray stood up again and wrapped her in his arms. She rested her head on his right shoulder as her tears continued to stream and though it wasn't the apology he expected to give, the ice mage knew it still got through to her in the end. An isolated Erza wasn't going to be great for neither the guild nor herself and at the moment, Gray's one true objective was to save his red haired best friend from herself. He gently stroked her scarlet locks tenderly as he held her close, allowing her to lean into him a bit for support and watched as the familiar skull and crossbones black sail began to dock.

"Big Sister, we've come to pick ye up and yer treasure!" The captain shouted as he climbed down from the boarding plank and was nearly up in arms at the sight of her tears. "Who done and made this lovely beauty shed tears of sorrow! They will walk the plank and rest eternally in Davey Jones' locker or me name's not Captain Marques Graybeard of the Scarlet Pearl!" He shouted as the rest of his crew hollered with him, brandishing their blades and magic pistols.

"It's quite alright Captain, but thank you for your concern." Erza calmed them down, wiping away her tears as she removed herself from the ice mage's arm.

"Again I'm sorry for everything Erza." Gray apologised once again and this time, Erza gave a kind smile as she knew when the ice mage was genuine with his words.

"Apology accepted," The requip mage replied as she took him by the hand, "So let's go home to Fairy Tail." With that she lead him to the ship as the pirates began to welcome her aboard.

It wasn't long before they set sail again and both Fairy Tailers began talking to each other again, Gray still trying to make his point clear from his apology while Erza tried her best to let him know that she got the message. The captain had a fond smile on his face as he looked on at the pair and knew that Big Sister was truly happy with the young man with hair as dark as the night sky and eyes like those of the murky deep ocean.

"Cap'n, I thought Big Sister was bringing a haul of treasure with her when she said that it had been stolen from her, but all I see is the boy." Graybeard's first mate said as he approached the helm, which overlooked the main deck where the two were currently at.

"Me boy that's the greatest treasure of all." He replied as the first mate looked at him confused and knew that he had no idea what he meant. "We plunder and adore the fine riches from those which we take from, but the greatest treasure for a young lass like Big Sister is the one of the heart."

"I don't get it Cap'n." The first mate replied and the old pirate knew that the life of a pirate hasn't shown the young man much in the way of life yet.

"Me boy, I be talking about love; one of the greatest treasures sought after by any lass of the seas or land. Big Sister came to the island of Galuna because someone had tried to steal her treasure and now she's got it back." Captain Graybeard explained and noticed the understanding look on the young man's face, telling him that he finally knew what it means for Big Sister.

"You sure know a lot Cap'n."

"Yer old Captain has been in the same position before in his younger years boy-o. Tis only natural that I know which treasure is sought after, I am the captain of this ship for a reason." He gave a hearty laugh that was a staple of any respectable plunderer of the sea and continued to sail for Fiore.


A day had passed after the main group had returned to Fairy Tail before Erza and Gray came through the guild doors together, the air slightly tensing up at the sight of the ice mage before Mira was the first to welcome them back. Soon enough others had joined in and things went back to the usual ways, albeit the odd stare here and there from a guild member that Gray would offhandedly catch during his first two hours back in the guild. The ice mage silently thanked Loke that his main plan had worked out perfectly and in time things won't be so awkward for him, but it didn't stop him from taking the random glance at the three women that were important to him from time to time.

"Welcome back Gray, but if you don't mind my boy I hear that something has happened over the past few weeks while I was away involving a wide spread potion dealing with emotions and they tell me that you are the most reliable source to fill me in of what happened." Makarov said as he made his way over towards the ice mage, the first time seeing him in over a month.

"Well Gramps I guess I'm as good a person as any who could tell you the full story correctly." Gray said as he didn't expect to retell all the events so soon to another person even when he too didn't know about certain events until Loke had told him on Galuna, but it was the Master and Gray knew that he had some form of wisdom in him for all of this.

"I greatly appreciate it Gray, please follow me to my office so I don't miss a detail." The aging master asked before a soft giggle garnered their attention as the First Master, Mavis Vermillion, appeared before them.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd also like to hear your point of view of all this Gray." Mavis asked as the ice mage merely nodded although he did slightly question why she said from his point of view, though he just assumed that she wanted to know how he made out all of this as it was happening before him.

"You wish to know as well First? I'm sure it doesn't have many interesting aspects to it." Makarov said as Gray internally thought he couldn't be any more wrong and Mavis gave him a knowing smile at his words.

"You never know Eighth, this could be a very intriguing story involving an emotion potion and our ice mage." She said still smiling as she skipped ahead and Gray could've sworn that she was looking forward to this much more than she let on.

"She is the First, but feel free to take your time recounting the events Gray. I have plenty of time to listen since I have nothing scheduled, so go ahead when you're ready." Makarov said with an understanding smile as he followed after the First Master towards his office.

"Sure thing Gramps." Gray called out to him as a smile spread across his face knowing that he had a parental figure like him to talk to.

Geez, this has been one hell of a ride and a pain in the ass, but I'm glad it's all past me now and with Gramps here I can bet he'll give me some sage words to go by." Gray thought to himself as he began climbing the stairwell up to the second floor.

"But it's just another misadventure for Fairy Tail and it wouldn't be one any other way." Gray jokingly added as an afterthought as he casually strolled to the master's office, humming an old hymn he picked up again from an unbelievably understanding brunette.

The End


A/N: IT'S OVER! TT^TT In any case I want to thank all of you who have reviewed, followed, favorited and read my first fanfic from beginning to end. It's been a long road and this story's come a long way from its small beginning. I'd like to give a special thanks to Angelina08 for being both the first follower and review to my fic and xoMissie for being the first to add EP and AIM as a favorite, but it doesn't mean I didn't appreciate every else who also did this, they were just the firsts. To conclude this small a/n I hope you all enjoyed it very much and are willing to read any other work I post too, stay tuned because we may have an epilogue on our hands to see what happens next. Until then I'll see all of you wonderful readers in the next fic, bye!